Top 10 Things You Don't Know About Earthquake Relief By PT_Tesla [39 more lists]

The recent earthquake that hit Japan is a reminder that disasters and catastrophes take lives. There are several key points many people don't know or take seriously concerning emergency response and preparation for earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and other disasters. Feel free to share any tips or comments about disaster relief and preparedness below.

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1

Why does help take so long?

When the s**t hits the fan many victims and TV viewers wonder why it takes so long to actually get people on the ground to help. The reason is complex but here are the cliff notes. Before anyone from an official agency can step foot into an emergency they must already have an infrastructure in place.

That is, someone has to be in charge of search and rescue, logistics, materials, various personnel, etc. Someone also has to be in charge of each of those groups and then there needs to be a team leader in charge of each team.

With hundreds of people involved, getting to the point of disaster in even a matter of days is already considered a great accomplishment. Unfortunately in the time leading up to it, people are dying. That's why it's very important that you, a supposed victim of a potential disaster, be prepared as well.
2

Duct Tape

Preparation is key. Most people hear disaster preparation and they feel like they've been given a homework assignment during summer vacation. Basic preparation is actually fairly simple and takes little time.

You never know when you might have to duct tape a plane back together.

Think about it, people have life insurance and car insurance but have no supplies for a disaster. Car insurance may fix your car but being prepared can save your life and the lives of your loved ones. Prioritize, people! For specific info check out this handy link to the American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_239_,00.html
3

Amputation For Dummies

We see it time and time again in war movies and action flicks. Someone ties a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and bam they're ready for action. During disasters injured people may be bleeding and untrained citizens may be tempted to tie a tourniquet. Tying a tourniquet is basically an amputation without a bone saw.

Cutting off the entire blood flow to the appendage will likely require amputation of the limb after the tourniquet. It's like trying to put out a grease fire with water. You can actually just make things worse. Something can be tied to put pressure on the wound without completely stopping the blood flow. Taking a free local first aid course such as CERT can teach you how to save lives without unnecessarily removing body parts. Which is always a good thing. See link here: http://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/
4

The Dead Can Kill

As bodies after a disaster start to decompose they can attract various disease-carrying animals. If they're not properly buried, these bodies can spread disease to the living and fast. Yes, identifying bodies is important but taking care (and saving) the lives of those alive takes priority.

Besides, who wants to see their grandmother being eaten by a mule. Sad and gruesome reality coming your way: Better to have her buried and eaten by worms underground where you can't see it happening, right?

Bodies should be stored downwind and downhill away from any medical treatment area or water source.
5

Drinking Bleach is Fun and Easy

After major earthquakes and other disasters the flow of water may cease. FEMA recommends having one gallon per person per day in case of an emergency. I guess during disasters people drink more water or something.

Anyway if you need to purify water they advise using bleach. Besides removing blood stains you can add 4 drops of unscented pure chlorine bleach with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite to one quart of water for purification then wait 30 minutes before drinking. You can also drink the water out of your toilet. Not out of the bowl like your dog. The water in the reservoir on the back of toilet is usually clean enough to drink unless you use those chlorine cakes.
6

Procrastination Kills

Disasters like the earthquake in Haiti and Japan, Hurricane Katrina in the US and the tsunami in Thailand and Indonesia all took thousands of lives in what seemed like an instant. What many of us don't realize is that thousands more died in the aftermath while waiting for relief efforts.

When individuals procrastinate on their own preparation efforts they have to rely on others and that costs lives. Malnutrition, common illnesses and dehydration can all be prevented with simple preparation. Just like doing your taxes it's easier to be prepared then to be nailed (literally, to the coffin) for not being ready.

Sure, you can procrastinate on paying bills, doing your taxes and potty training your kids. It's not a good idea and your kids' teachers will hate you for it but you can still get away with doing it. Procrastinating on preparing to take care of yourself and loved ones in a disaster, on the other hand, can cost you your life. And that's one situation you can't edge your way out of as easily.
7

Living 7-14 days

After Katrina many relief organizations and the federal government advised each American to be prepared to survive 7-14 days without any assistance. That's right! If something big hits you're likely to be on your own for up to 2 weeks.

Now, that gallon of water in the closet and 2 cans of expired green beans in your cupboard can no longer look do the job. Nope, you need a full supply of food and water
8

Triage

Decades of movies and bad TV shows have taught us that triage saves lives. It does. However, the act of performing triage doesn't necessarily mean saving lives. Triage is deciding who can be saved, who will be treated first and who won't be treated at all.

There is very minimal treatment actually performed during triage. If someone's not breathing you clear their air passage and adjust their head. If they're still not breathing you move on to the next victim and if possible assign someone else to begin performing CPR. Cold but true. But not as cold as my grandma joke in #4.

It is only after triage is completed that the medical emergency team can administer treatment. So in a disaster don't bother the Incident Commander with inquiries about band aids for the scratch on your arm. He, unfortunately, has to worry about the guy missing an arm.
9

Volunteer

People are dying and you want to help. So you decide to jump on a plane and get to work. Not so fast there sparky. If you're not with an organization you just as well may add yourself to the death toll.

Unfortunately most disaster aid groups such as the American Red Cross and Unicef only accept volunteers to work receiving donations.

So if you really want to volunteer, man the phones for your local charity or just donate some cash and sleep better knowing you've helped those in need.
10

Emergency

So what's with plugging a book in here? Emergency chronicles the author's experience as he learns about preparing for a major emergency. It starts off kind of scary but ends on a positive theme (and that's what we're kind of shooting for in a disaster prevention book like this).

Unless you throw the book at an attacker it might not actually save your life. What it will do though is motivate you to prepare for at least the basic emergencies. One of the most basic advice the book gives is to turn off the gas after a major earthquake and only let a utility professional turn it back on. Most fires following earthquakes are cause by ruptured gas lines.